REUTERS, Feb. 1 — Pope Benedict said he
realized his recent encyclical Deus
Caritas Est could seem difficult to understand at
first but hoped he had answered some basic questions about the Roman Catholic
faith, Reuters reported.

The Holy Father made his comments in a cover letter for
Italy’s weekly Famiglia Cristiana
magazine, which is printing the entire encyclical for its readers. In the
letter to the magazine’s readers, believed to be an unprecedented gesture by a
Pope, Benedict went over some of the points of the 70-page treatise and
elaborated on what he was trying to say.

It ranges in themes from erotic and spiritual love in a
personal relationship, to the role of the Catholic Church’s vast network of
charity organizations around the world.

“At the beginning, in fact the text might appear to be a
bit difficult and theoretical,” the Holy Father wrote. “But when you move ahead
with the reading it is clear that I only wanted to answer a few very concrete
questions regarding Christian life.”

Vatican
Explores Catholic-Jewish Talks

CANADIAN PRESS, Jan. 28 —The Vatican is exploring whether to expand its Catholic-Jewish
dialogue to include Muslims, although talks are at a very early stage, a
Vatican official said.

Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who heads the Vatican’s
office for inter-religious dialogue, made the comments Jan. 27 after the World
Jewish Congress said its chairman, Rabbi Israel Singer, had discussed the
initiative with Archbishop Fitzgerald and other high-ranking Vatican officials
during a visit to Rome.

The main point of the talks was to intensify the Vatican’s
official dialogue with Jews, but they also included “specific possibilities to
expand interfaith talks to also include representatives from the Islamic
faith,” the World Jewish Congress said in a statement.

The statement added that details on establishing a “trialogue” would be discussed in future meetings.

Holy Father
Urges World to Unite Against Poverty

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Jan. 29 — Pope Benedict called
on world leaders to unite in the fight against poverty Jan. 29, and sent two
doves flying into St. Peter’s Square in a symbol of peace, continuing a
tradition begun by his predecessor, John Paul II, the Associated Press
reported.

From his studio window overlooking the square, Benedict
offered a special greeting to those who suffer from leprosy, a disfiguring
condition also known as Hansen’s disease that affects hundreds of thousands of
people worldwide.

Noting that Jan. 29 was World Day of Leprosy Sufferers, the
Holy Father encouraged missionaries, health care personnel and volunteers
working in the field against the scourge.

“Leprosy is a symptom of a more serious and vaster ill,
which is poverty,” the Pope told pilgrims, tourists and a group of Italian
Catholic children in the square. “For this reason, following in the wake of my
predecessors, I renew the appeal to leaders of nations so that they will unite
their efforts to overcome the grave imbalances that still penalize a large part
of humanity.”

Pope
Benedict Prays for Roof Collapse Victims

IRELAND ONLINE, Jan. 29 — Pope Benedict XVI
prayed for the victims of the roof collapse in Poland and said he was joined spiritually
to their families, the international website reported.

Rescuers searched for victims buried when the roof of an
exhibition hall in southern Poland collapsed on a racing pigeon show Jan. 28,
killing at least 66 people and injuring a further 160.

“In greeting Polish pilgrims, I am thinking about the
tragic accident that happened yesterday evening in Katowice,
in which many people lost their lives,” Benedict said, speaking in Polish as he
appeared at his studio window to faithful in St. Peter’s Square.

“I entrust to God’s mercy all those who
perished, I unite myself spiritually to their families and to those who in this
event were injured,” the Holy Father said. “To all, I give my warm blessing.”

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